Tag: being

Sal: I was laid off back in 2009 during the “economic recession”, which I learned to be more “frugal” (e.g. buy what was necessary instead of buying what I “wanted”). I learned some “life style changes” that I apply now..

Debt?

Before you even decide to head down the road of using or exploring the 7 Baby Steps, I think it’s important to point out just how key it is that you sit down, talk with your significant other (if you have one), and actually make a decision that you want to change.

A lot of people talk about how to change their financial lives, but never touch on the fact that if you or your spouse isn’t ready to change, it isn’t going to happen. You have to want to change…”

Dave Ramsey’s 9 tips to get out of debt – YouTube

Savings

How To Save $2,000 Fast Without Making More Money

Minority Mindset
Published on Jun 22, 2018
How To Save $2,000 Fast Without Making More Money
0:14 – Saving your money will make you broke because your money in the bank is losing value to inflation
0:35 – The only reason you should be saving your money is to invest and to save for your emergency fund
1:08 – Start by saving minimum of $2,000 for your emergency fund
1:41 – Write down how much money you make and your expenses
2:27 – Save $2,000 as fast as possible so you have to cut out the things you don’t need
3:51 – Stop over paying for your bills so you can save the extra savings
5:09 – Stop having expensive fun until you have started saving money and have a savings cushion

The 7 Best Places to Put Your SavingsBy Jean Folger | Updated September 29, 2017 — 6:00 AM EDT investopedia.com“..Money that is considered savings is often put into a low risk, interest-earning account, rather than into higher risk investments. Although there is opportunity for larger returns with certain investments, the idea behind savings is to allow the money to grow slowly with little or no associated risk. The advent of online banking has increased the variety and accessibility of savings accounts and vehicles. Here are some of the different types of accounts so you can make the most of your savings.

Credit Unions vs. Banks: What’s the Difference? .thestreet.com“..The bottom line is that banks are for-profit institutions, while credit unions are non-profit. Credit unions typically brag better customer service and lower fees, but have higher interest rates. On the contrary, banks generally have lower interest rates and higher fees. Banks, on the other hand, often have higher fees but more convenience regarding location, technological efficiency, mobile access, and rewards programs…”

Banks vs. Credit Unions: What’s the Difference? – 2 Minute Financehttps://youtu.be/rfHyQ-8eLC4
2minutefinance
Published on Oct 28, 2011
Thinking about moving your money out of a big bank and into a local credit union? Get the low down on their differences in this two minute video.

For more information and resources, visit our website at http://www.2minutefinance.com. Also, find us on Facebook (Facebook.com/2MinuteFinance) or Twitter (@2MinuteFinance).

Students

Finding the Best Student Savings Account in 2018“..Student savings accounts are meant to help those in school grow their increasing income long-term and learn about financial responsibility. To ensure that you find the best savings account for the student in your life, we’ve laid out the top student savings accounts for prospective account holders looking for specific account benefits…”

Investing

How to Invest $100 [for 2018] 💵 | Investing for Beginners When You Don’t Have a Ton of Money

Investors with Credibility

Warren Buffett – The World’s Greatest Money Maker

TradingCoachUK
Published on Nov 1, 2014
Warren Buffett is the greatest investor of all time. His decisions about buying shares and companies have beaten the stock market year after year and made him the richest person in the world – thought to be worth 37 billion dollars.

Yet Buffett lives modestly in his native Omaha, in America’s mid-West, and runs his 150 billion dollar business with a staff of just twenty.

He talks to Buffett’s family, friends and colleagues about the man they call the Sage of Omaha, and Buffett’s friend Bill Gates praises his philosophy of life.

National Savings Day nationaldaycalendar.com“.. sets aside October 12 to recognize those who value the act of saving and to provide simple steps to show getting started isn’t as difficult as it may seem.

Many of us already save every day. We’ve been doing it for a long time. We collect sentimental items because they mean something to us and they evoke emotion. These objects come in all forms. It could be a treasured baseball glove your dad played catch with you; an engagement ring passed down through generations, or boxes full of t-shirts representing years of concerts. We save lots of things for extended periods of time, and they accumulate quite well…”

Moody’s Manual moodys.com“..is a​n e​sse​ntial component of the global capital m​arket​s, providing credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that c​ontribute to transparent and integrated financial markets. Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) is the parent company of Moody’s Investors Service, which provides credit ratings and research covering debt instruments and securities, and Moody’s Analytics, which offers leading-edge software, advisory services and research for credit and economic analysis and financial risk management. The Corporation, which reported revenue of $4.2 billion in 2017, employs approximately 12,300 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 42 countries. Further information is available at http://www.moodys.com…&#8221;

Stats

Overdoses now leading cause of death of Americans under … – YouTube

Drug Overdose Deaths: Let’s Get Specific ncbi.nlm.nih.gov“..In the United States, a total of 38,329 drug overdose deaths were reported via death certificates in 2010, for an age-adjusted rate of 12.3/100,000 population.1 In 16,651 of these deaths, an opioid analgesic (or a combination of opioid analgesics) was listed as contributing to the overdose death (5.4/100,000 population). However, an additional 9,429 drug overdose deaths (3.0/100,000 population) were associated only with “other and unspecified drugs.” Previous work has shown that about 25% of U.S. overdose deaths had no drugs specified on the death certificate, so it is likely that national statistics underestimate by a substantial fraction the number of opioid analgesic- and heroin-related deaths.2 Furthermore, the degree of underestimation varied depending on the type of death certification system the state had in place. States with centralized state medical examiner systems had on average a higher percentage (92%) of drug overdose death certificates listing specific drugs than states with other types of systems, such as a decentralized coroner system, in which 62% of death certificates had a drug-specified, hybrid system—county coroner and medical examiners (73%)—or decentralized county or district medical examiner system (71%).2..”

This Is What Happens to Your Brain on Opioids | Short Film … – YouTube

Causes

What Causes a Drug Overdose? tpaddictiontreatment.com“..Overdoses can be subtle, and without proper attention, can go unnoticed. Users that have overdosed may just be told to “sleep it off”— leaving severe medical consequences to follow. When left untreated, drug and alcohol overdose can cause memory problems, cognitive difficulties, tremors, coma, and death…”

Tragic Stories

Musicians

Top 10 Musicians Who Tragically Died Due to Drugs and Alcohol …

WatchMojo.com
Published on Aug 13, 2016
Top 10 Musicians Who Died Due to Drugs and Alcohol
Subscribe: http://goo.gl/Q2kKrD

Drugs and alcohol have taken away some truly great musicians over the years. This list looks at some revered, talented artists who died from an overdose, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

“When you’re having a bad day, the best thing you can do is call somebody and ask them how they’re doing, and actually pay attention and listen to the answer to get out of your own head.”

“A woman came up to me after the meeting and said, ‘You’ve just taken away my last excuse to have a drink.’ I asked her what she meant. She said, ‘I’ve always had this little corner of my mind which held the excuse that, if anything were to happen to my kids, then I’d be justified in getting drunk. You’ve shown me that’s not true.’ I was suddenly aware that maybe I had found a way to turn this dreadful tragedy into something positive. I really was in the position to say, ‘Well, if I can go through this and stay sober, then anyone can.’ There was no better way to honor the memory of my son.”…

“I was living in constant fear of who I’d meet, what I might have said to them, what I might have done with them, so I’d stay in my apartment for days and drink alone. I was a recluse at 20. It was pathetic — it wasn’t me. I’m a fun, polite person and it turned me into a rude bore. For a long time people were saying to me, ‘We think you have a problem,’ but in the end I had to come to the realization myself.”..

Former Korn Guitar Player Faces Addiction addiction-intervention.com“..From heavy metal to heavy recovery, Brian “Head” Welch, the former guitarist for multi-award winning hard rock band Korn, has come through an addiction battle with methamphetamine and alcohol that is leading even his own fans to give up their addictions…”

“This is a former Walmart that has been turned into a center for children,” Merkley says in the video. “So, behind those doors inside that Walmart are apparently many hundreds of children.”..

On his June 3 visit to McAllen, TX, Senator Merkley and his staff saw firsthand the conditions of the McAllen Border Patrol Processing Center. The sight of so many children who had been separated from their parents and are now housed in cage-like enclosures was jarring and disturbing. The Administration may not like the term “cage,” but other than quibbling over semantics, they have not disputed that Senator Merkley has relayed with great detail and accuracy his account of the facility and all that he observed…”

Conspiracy theories about why several WalMart stores suddenly closed in April 2015.

Walmart Robots Working Store Aisles, Checking Stock

What you need to know about F. E. M. A. and the world’s largest RETAIL GIANT

Published on Sep 11, 2017
Do you want to know the truth behind what is going on with these supercenters? Take a look

It’s no longer a theory, Its reality(WALMART-MART-LAW)

Walmart Closing Conspiracy Theory

Published on Jan 22, 2016
Dawn Muskovin, of Blythewood, expresses her concern that the closing of the Winnsboro Walmart is connected to the Jade Helm domestic military exercises. She believes the government is involved in the closing.

The VIDEO that WALMART DOESN’T Want You To See!! Future RFID Chipping Hubs…

Published on Apr 4, 2016

This video expose is styled as a documentary short, covering 5 unusual facts about Walmart store closings. Walmart has had numerous contracts with the U.S. government. One of these goes back to the early 2000s, when Walmart began a cooperative with the U.S. Defense Department on RFID technology. With the help of the DoD, Walmart has been at the forefront of biometric and RFID technology. In 2012-2013, Walmart introduced SoloHealth stations into their stores and announced that it was an Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, initiative. Most people overlooked that the SoloHealth stations came equipped with RFID scanning technology. Walmart was a pilot for these SoloHealth Stations, and collected data on thousands of people as a part of the test run.

In the past year, Walmart has announced that it will be closing many stores as a part of portfolio management, but in 2015 their explanation was different. They closed 5 stores because of “plumbing problems.” In 2016, 10 percent of stores in Brazil closed. Brazil is currently in an economic recession that is quickening to depression. Many of the closed stores in the U.S. have been gutted for some odd reason; all the products have been removed.

In March 2016, Google accidentally leaked a map of the United States showing all Walmart stores permanently closed. The media did not cover this, though it was covered by a local Arkansas newspaper. Google claimed the map was an accident, but it is strange considering the only businesses shown to be “permanently closed” were Walmart supercenters, neighborhood markets, and express stores.

Also, there is some evidence that Walmart stores are a part of a system of tunnels underneath the United States. This topic was not addressed in this video.

Knowing all of the past contracts that Walmart has with the U.S. government, are we now seeing Walmart stores transition to their true purpose?

Inside the former Walmart superstore in Texas where the US is holding 1,400 immigrant children!

JonXArmy
Streamed live on Jun 14, 2018
Here, there are 1,469 boys, ages 10 to 17, housed inside the 250,000-square-foot shell of a former Walmart superstore. None of the 313 bedrooms have doors. Or ceilings, so that children lying in their beds look up past where their walls end to the scaffolding of the superstore roof high above. The hundreds of children neatly lined up for their supper of barbecued chicken or sandwiches file past murals of presidents, including one of Donald Trump, alongside with a curious quote from him in Spanish alongside the English: “Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.”

WAL-MART Can Track You EVERYWHERE

Published on Oct 13, 2011

Tracking tags of all sizes and uses are showing up in clothing and materials from many large retail chains including Wally World. Tags for in-store tracking, tags for shipping monitoring, and micro-wire RFID antenna’s found within the seams of clothing. These tags need no power to work, using microwaves and signals from around them to generate a recognizable signal. Data tracking where you live, shop and do your day-to-day stuff can be very valued information to marketing / developement / research companies along with many menacing options for tracking your movements. When tracked with other verified RFID tags associated with you (your license, criedit cards, passports, membership cards…) a profile can be made with the signals from clothing,electronics and products to watch your movements very easily.

WALMART SELF CHECK OUT CAMERAS

Sal: I personally had a similar experience. Before I was able to use my credit card, a staff came by and asked if I was 18? Haha..I saw this as a compliment! 🙂

Others:

FEMA Camp Footage (Concentrations Camps in USA)

Published on Apr 23, 2006

Footage of a FEMA camp in the US. This is available on Google video too, but because a few people simply still don’t “get it” when they watch the footage from the Indiana Grove camp, let me spell it out with this one.

US Fema Concentration Camps in Case of Martial Law – Full List 05-05-18 1 9 Theresia_kihn disclose.tv“..Over 800 prison camps discovered in the United States! They are heavily guarded by the national guard full-time, but are empty all the time! These camps are being run by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) should Martial Law take effect in the U.S. With just a simple order from President Donald Trump, Martial Law can be implemented, and he will remain, President in the White House, until it is over..”

For more than a year, the old Walmart along the Mexican border here has been a mystery to those driving by on the highway. In place of the supercenter’s trademark logo hangs a curious sign: “Casa Padre.”

But behind the sliding doors is a bustling city unto itself, equipped with classrooms, recreation centers and medical examination rooms. Casa Padre now houses more than 1,400 immigrant boys, dozens of them forcibly separated from their parents at the border by a new Trump administration “zero-tolerance” policy.

On Wednesday, for the first time since that policy was announced, and amid intense national interest after a U.S. senator was turned away, federal authorities allowed a small group of reporters to tour the secretive shelter, the largest of its kind in the nation.

Inside, in what used to be a McDonald’s, shelter employees served scores of mostly teenage boys chicken, vegetables and plastic fruit cups. In the former loading docks, children watched the animated movie “Moana,” dubbed in Spanish. Where once there was a garage, six young people played basketball..”

“..(Reuters) – Immigrant children are being routinely and forcibly given a range of psychotropic drugs at U.S. government-funded youth shelters to manage their trauma after being detained and in some cases separated from parents, according to a lawsuit.

Children held at facilities such as the Shiloh Treatment Center in Texas are almost certain to be administered the drugs, irrespective of their condition, and without their parents’ consent, according to the lawsuit filed by the Los Angeles-based Center for Human Rights & Constitutional Law…”

The Evidence: Debunking FEMA Camp Myths Dec 25, 2014 3.9k popularmechanics.com
Below are more details regarding some of the most prevalent claims, and facts, uncovered through PM’s independent investigation.“..PM editor-in-chief James Meigs appeared on Glenn Beck’s FOX news program twice to debunk conspiracy theories regarding supposed “concentration camps” being built by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. You can read transcripts from those here and here. But PM’s research went beyond what could fit in the short segments. Below are more details regarding some of the most prevalent claims, and facts, uncovered through PM’s independent investigation..”

Spring Awakening (musical) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia“..is a rock musical with music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. It is based on the German play Spring Awakening (1891) by Frank Wedekind. Set in late-19th-century Germany, the musical tells the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer tumult of teenage sexuality. In the musical, alternative rock is employed as part of the folk-infused rock score…”

All That’s Known: Facts about Spring Awakening Posted on July 9, 2015 by Victoria Barber musicalstagecompany.com“..We are Totally…. Psyched to see how this show plays out on Broadway, and are excited to share some hidden gems that you might not have known…

Spring Awakening is based on the highly controversial and oft-censored 1891 play by German playwright Frank Wedekind. Spring Awakening was Frank Wedekind’s first play. He had it published at his own expense in 1891, but it was not performed until Wedekind started his own repertory company in 1906. The first production in the United States took place in 1912, but since the play was in German it failed to attract widespread interest. The play was finally performed in English in 1917. The debut performance almost didn’t take place because the New York City Commissioner of Licenses tried to shut it down, claiming that the play was pornographic in nature. Almost immediately, Wedekind was able to secure an injunction from the Supreme Court that allowed the play to go on. Unfortunately, the audience seemed to agree with the Commissioner, and the play closed after a single show…”

SPRING AWAKENING Press Reel

Personal Reflections

I thought the cast at the University of Minnesota-Morris theater group did a superb job “performance” wise. They are one very talented group (e.g. singing and acting)!

During one of the scenes when the student was going to tell his dad the “bad” news that he ‘ll be expelled or something. He was seen as a “failure” and “embarassment” to his dad, which he would get physically abused. Unfortunately, he would commit suicide. This brought up my indirect experience in high school when 3 classmates from my class were killed in different ways (one commited suicide too with a gun). This also brought me to one of the scenes from an old school movie called “Dead Poets Society”..

Dead poet society Neil Perry and his father – YouTube

Parents and their children need to “dialogue” with each other! Share how you feel and listen to each other-two way communication!

Dead Poets Society – Neil’s Suicide (original)

Reviews

Dealing with Sensitive Themes Onstage artsedge.kennedy-center.org
Navigating the risks and rewards of controversial themes in school theaters“..Shorewood’s educational leadership sees these productions as social and educational investments rather than risks, suggests King. “First of all, students love performing these titles. So, the excitement level of students can’t be underestimated. A title can draw more students into the arts. Secondly, the social themes in these musicals are perfectly relevant to teenagers— homelessness, homophobia, child abuse, physical abuse, etc. ..”
*see Neutral Perspective: Same-Sex Marriage goodnewseverybodycom.wordpress.com Spring Awakening at ANU Arts Centre is a rock musical about teen angst Ron Cerabona November 6 2016 – 3:18PM esperanceexpress.com.au“The 2006 musical, Spring Awakening, is set in late 19th-century Germany, but its themes are close to being timeless and universal. Co-director Grant Pegg says, “It’s a show about teenage issues in general. It traverses every teenage issue you could imagine – sexuality, suicide, relationships, rebellion, authority, school, sex, friendship.”

These teenagers are growing up in a deeply religious community in 1891. Melchior (played by Callum Bodman) and Wendla (Kaitlin Nihill) have known each other since childhood but are developing strange new feelings for each other that they don’t know how to explain or handle. Melchior’s anxious friend Moritz (Pip Carroll) is particularly disturbed by the dreams he has been having. And Ernst (Jake Willis) and Hanschen (Lachlan Agett) are developing a relationship that goes beyond friendship…
*see Struggling with Sexual Temptation goodnewseverybodycom.wordpress.com

Theater and Broadway with an added Christian perspective. reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com“… Melchior’s carefree behavior and rebellion are a catalyst for much of the show’s action (and the character is ably portrayed by McKenzie). He wonders about the origin of shame and believes that it is a product of education. He encourages close friend Moritz to embrace his sensual dreams and introduces Wendla to sex at his “special thinking place” while indulging her need to be punished. Her fate involves an abortion and death.

A friend, driven to achieve success by uncaring parents dies “Left Behind” the scene is very moving and effectively staged.

To take in the excellent performances, however, you need to be prepared for potentially offensive content. The show posts a Mature rating and contains nudity and all kinds of sexual activity. Some of the titles of the songs are so explicit that I can’t list them here. …..”
*see Neutral Perspective: Abortion and Pro-Life goodnewseverybodycom.wordpress.com

What to say about … Spring Awakening theguardian.com
You haven’t seen the teen musical sensation, but you can still regale your friends with tales of masturbation, sadism and body-popping – all stolen from the critics‘..Now unfold the plot: the musical is set in the late 19th century and concerns itself with troubled puberty confronting strict bourgeois morality, you say, paraphrasing the Guardian. “We follow the linked fates of three teenage school pupils. Moritz is so tormented by sex and harried by exam pressure that he is driven to suicide. His rebellious friend, Melchior, unwarily impregnates a 14-year-old girl. Wendla, the innocent in question, dies in the course of an illegal abortion. Other pupils find release in masturbation and same-sex friendships but the show, like the play, remains an attack on a repressive, puritan culture.” Pause. Regain your enthusiasm. Then explode: “You’d have to be a dedicated churl, prude or bigot not to rejoice in the final sentiments and the final anthem” (Independent)…”

Documentary which follows the last 12 months in the singer Tulisa Contostavlos’s life. Combining self-shot diary footage with actuality the programme shows what’s it’s really like to be on the receiving end of a tabloid sting and its consequences. The film charts Tulisa’s highs and her lows, her arrest, her charge, state of mind and suicide attempt and her treatment at the hands of the tabloid press as she travels to the brink of disaster before her case collapses and she regains her life and her reputation.

Hard-hitting and harrowing, the film lifts the lid on this episode in the singer’s life and in doing so tells us about the nature of celebrity culture and how it feels to be a major celebrity facing public ruin…”

Celebrities

Michael Jackson and the ‘extreme’ price of fame updated 8:44 a.m. EDT, Mon June 29, 2009 cnn.com“..”The public at large has yet to really understand the pressures of childhood celebrity, which, while exciting, always exacts a very heavy price,” Jackson wrote in 2000 in a column for the religious Web site beliefnet. “More than anything, I wished to be a normal little boy. I wanted to build tree houses and go to roller-skating parties. But very early on, this became impossible.”..

“The problem with that is he never really had a personal life. He never had a chance to live.”

For Jackson, the pressures of celebrity “exaggerated and exacerbated” what likely already were some deep emotional and mental wounds, according to Wanis…

Brooke Shields: Her Controversial Secrets Revealed 90skidsonly.com“..In 2012, Brooke went through the most heartbreaking thing she had ever faced – the death of her mother. Brooke’s mom was one of her biggest inspirations, both in her career and personal life. Brooke regretted that her and her late mother never got the chance to talk through their obviously troubled relationship. With Brooke posing nude at just 8-years old and being a teenager when working for Playboy, her childhood was quickly stripped of its innocence, something she felt guilty about when it came to her mom…”

Growing-up in the somewhat culturally diverse east-side of St. Paul in the 80’s, it was just a “norm” to just associate with any person with a diverse ethnic background….until my “middle school years”! “Race” somewhat became a “factor” on who you hung out with and who your friends were in this particular school. I didn’t like it! You can it was my “worst” years! Being “Asian-American” having friends with both “white” and “black” in elementary school, I felt like I had to choose what “race” to be “friends” with (see my personal racism story). Long-story short, why do we have to be “labeled” or “grouped” or “categorized”?…

ACTORS/ACTRESSES

“The former child actress who charmed America in “The Cosby Show” for most of the ‘80s shocked megastar Oprah Winfrey during a recent interview when she declared she considers herself “American,” not “African-American.”
…

“I’m proud to be who I am and what I am,” she said in an interview on the OWN network. “I want to be labeled ‘a human who loves humans.’”

…“I’m tired of being labeled. I’m an American. I’m not an African-American; I’m an American,” she said….

“I mean, I don’t know where my roots go to. I don’t know how far back they go…I don’t know what country in Africa I’m from, but I do know that my roots are in Louisiana. I’m an American. And that’s a colorless person.”…

…“What I really mean by that is I’m an American. That’s what I really mean,” Raven-Symone said. “I have darker skin. I have a nice, interesting grade of hair. I connect with Caucasian. I connect with Asian. I connect with black. I connect with Indian. I connect with each culture.”
….

“A white supremacist behind an initiative to turn a North Dakota town into a “white enclave” received some shocking news — he’s not 100 percent white. Craig Cobb, a 62-year-old man who has aimed to start a community for white supremacists and neo-Nazis, received some news that he wasn’t too happy about.*” Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola of The Young Turks discuss.

POLITICANS

“..In his book “Dreams From My Father,” the future president…”
*shares about growing-up bi-racial and the struggles of it. He feels America is made up of groups in “isolation” and that some individuals long to be part of a group.

I (Sal) personally can relate to all these stories above as I grew-up with an “identity issue” (see racism testimony) myself. I hated labels growing-up. I remember growing-up in elementary school, race was no matter or issue. I had friends of all multicultural backgrounds. Then in Middle School (6th grade), the identity slowly became an issue.

I remember in high school, I joined a “cultural” group called the “Asian Club”, which many friends from diverse Asian ethnic backgrounds invited me. There was one remark that really “stabbed” me in the heart…

“You don’t even look Asian enough…your eyes are big” (paraphrase)

This was just one example of many out there growing-up that got me to struggle with my “true identity”. I was like, how Asian do I have to look (e.g. squinty eyes) to be in this club? My full name is Spanish (Salvador Cruz Monteagudo). I then tried to “hang out” with Filipinos more, but struggled too because I didn’t even speak the “native” language of my parents. In college, I even was more “welcomed” by the “United Latinos”!

It wasn’t until college when I felt a real belonging and race wasn’t an issue. I became a Christian and realize I’m part of God’s big family! However, there is still challenges amongst the “Christian” community on this multicultural issue, but what is mentioned in the Bible keeps me rooted and strong in my personal faith (walk with my “Heavenly Father”!

“..This was a founding work for other scientists in the field of craniometry. He divided the human species into five races in 1779, later founded on crania research (description of human skulls), and called them (1793/1795):

the Caucasian or white race
the Mongolian or yellow race, including all East Asians and some Central Asians.
the Malayan or brown race, including Southeast Asian and Pacific Islanders.
the Ethiopian or black race, including sub-Saharan Africans.
the American or red race, including American Indians.
..”

“…To illustrate the basic genetic principles involved in determining skin shade, we’ll use a simplified explanation,26 with just two genes controlling the production of melanin. Let’s say that the A and B versions of the genes code for a lot of melanin, while the a and b versions code for a small amount of melanin.
Gene chart?

If the father’s sperm carried the AB version and the mother’s ovum carried the AB, the child would be AABB, with a lot of melanin, and thus very dark skin. Should both parents carry the ab version, the child would be aabb, with very little melanin, and thus very light skin. If the father carries AB (very dark skin) and the mother carries ab (very light skin), the child will be AaBb, with a middle brown shade of skin. In fact, the majority of the world’s population has a middle brown skin shade.

A simple exercise with a Punnet Square shows that if each parent has a middle brown shade of skin (AaBb), the combinations that they could produce result in a wide variety of skin shades in just one generation. Based on the skin colors seen today, we can infer that Adam and Eve most likely would have had a middle brown skin color. Their children, and children’s children, could have ranged from very light to very dark.

No one really has red, or yellow, or black skin. We all have the same basic color, just different shades of it. We all share the same pigments—our bodies just have different combinations of them.27…”

Artist and photographer who came to UMM to study from Buffalo, Minn. She has earned national attention for her interactive photo project entitled “Native Enough” which features a variety of portraits of UMM Native American students describing what their heritage means to them. O’Leary has also served as a staff photographer for UMM’s Profile magazine and has her own photo business.

By Ramon Ramirez Jun 11, 2015, 10:34pm CT dailydot.com“…Dolezal is by her family’s account white—Czech, Swedish, and German, with some Native American heritage, according to her mom—which is problematic given that she’s built an identity around being an African-American woman. And amid swirling controversy about Dolezal’s heritage on Thursday, she responded to KXLY4 reporter Jeff Humphrey’s query in telling fashion….

“The United States in the twenty-first century is home to perhaps the most diverse and varied Christian population on earth, with Christians of European, African, Asian, and Latin American birth or descent. This great racial and ethnic diversity poses both challenges and opportunities for America’s Christians. For Christians, overcoming racism and changing the structures of injustice that support racial exclusion is central to the reconciling work of the church. With the new immigration, beginning in 1965, the racial and ethnic diversity of American Christians has become greater than ever, recasting and making more complex the already difficult issues of race and ethnicity…

Justice for African Americans also remains on the agenda of Christian churches. The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s involved the work, the leadership, and the commitment of many Christians, most prominently the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Inspired by the deepest values of Christianity, they sharply criticized those institutional structures and practices which had supported a racially segregated society and, in many cases, a racially segregated church….

While many gains have been made, race is still a major issue for the churches. Some local churches are still, in effect, racially segregated along black and white lines. Others, however, have intentionally cultivated racially inclusive congregations and have expressed a commitment to racial justice in their life of worship and service. …

What is this social identity issue caused from?…media? How can we combat it? Would love to hear your stories or personal experiences on this issue? What’s your solution? Feedback, suggestions, comments, etc.. are all welcomed!

*note: this is one of the never-ending blog topics, so keep coming back for new articles or links. Feel free to share any below that’s related that might help “seekers”